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Twin sisters born minutes apart discover they have different fathers in incredible UK first
The Independent • • world
Key Points:
- Twin sisters Michelle and Lavinia Osbourne, aged 49, discovered through DNA testing that they have different fathers, a rare case of heteropaternal superfecundation believed to be the first documented in the UK.
- Despite being conceived naturally, sharing the same womb, and born minutes apart, the sisters are technically half-sisters due to fertilisation by sperm from two different men during the same cycle.
- The discovery came after a difficult childhood and years of uncertainty about their parentage, with their mother having told them their father was a man named James, whom they never met in childhood.
- Michelle’s DNA test in 2022 revealed her biological father was Alex, while Lavinia’s later test identified her father as Arthur, leading to mixed emotions including anger and devastation.
- Both sisters have since met their respective fathers, with Lavinia maintaining a relationship with Arthur, while Michelle has limited contact with Alex due to his struggles with substance abuse.
